Cambodia: The United Nations' Shame

Paper Summary:

This paper details the rise of the the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, looks at the atrocities committed against the Cambodian peoples under the leadership of Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, and talks about how the international community was responsible for the conditions that allowed Pol Pot to take control of Cambodia. The paper also points out that, while those responsible for bringing such a holocaust upon the Cambodian peoples can no longer be held accountable or brought to justice, the international community can hold a 'truth commission' that would bring to light the horrific events of the past and help Cambodia bring about an atmosphere of reconciliation and hope for the future. The paper includes a 1000-word annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"Approximately thirty years ago, in 1975, a murderous government led by a man with a philosophy that is almost impossible to understand, came to power in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge governed the country for only three years but, it was a three years that the Cambodians and Cambodia have not been able to recover from until now. The Khmer Rouge, under the leadership of Pol Pot carried out a holocaust years against ordinary Cambodian citizens that had committed no crime. Almost two million people died and the world did absolutely nothing to stop the killing. As Jerry Adler and Ron Moreau explains in "The Devil's Due," Pol Pot, the leader of this murderous regime, had a philosophy behind the killings. From his point of view, Cambodia and the Cambodian people were hopeless and no reform policies would change the situation or transform them into a developed and educated people."

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